North Dakota Geography:
The Land

Geography and Landforms of North Dakota

Find an overview
of North Dakota geography, topography, geographic land regions, land areas, and major rivers.

Access North Dakota almanac furnishing more details on the state geography, geographical and land regions, climate and weather, elevation, land areas, bordering states, and other statistical data.

North Dakota is bordered by Canada
on the north and by South Dakota on the south. On the east, North Dakota is bordered by Minnesota, and on the west, it is bordered
by Montana. The highest point in North Dakota is White Butte at 3,506 feet above sea level. Major rivers include the James River, the
Missouri River and the Red River.

North Dakota is made up of these Physiographic Areas

Northern Mixed-grass Prairie

The area includes almost all of the eastern half of South Dakota and central North Dakota from the Red River Valley on the east
to the Missouri River and Montana border on the south and west. In Canada, it includes a small portion of southern Manitoba, and a
swath that crosses Saskatchewan and extends into Alberta. The southern edge of this physiographic area is the terminus of a glacial
moraine now marked by the course of the Missouri River. To the north, prairies give way to the Aspen Parklands. Precipitation declines
from east-to-west across the northern plains, resulting in differences in the height of dominant grasses. To the east, the mixed-grass
begins as topography rises out of the Tallgrass Prairie of the Red River Valley. In the United States, grass height gradually decreases
beyond the western boundary of this physiographic area. Because of the glacial history of the Northern Mixed Grass and the relationship
between precipitation and evapotranspiration, the area is dotted with thousands of depressions that range from permanently to periodically
wet. This gives the area the name "Prairie Potholes." Internally, the various moraines (termed "coteaus") are particularly rugged and
marked by potholes.

Northern Tallgrass Prairie

This is the easternmost and lushest region of the Great Plains at this latitude. It includes north-central Iowa, south- central
and western Minnesota, the Red River Valley of North Dakota, and extends into south- central Manitoba. Tallgrass prairie grades into
savannah on its eastern boundary. The transition zone has doubtlessly shifted over time with changes in the patterns of fire, drought,
and herbivory that maintain the prairie. Similar forces affect the boundary with Aspen Parkland to the northeast and north. Drier conditions
result in shorter grasses as the tallgrass gives way to the Mixed Grass Prairie at the western edge of the Red River Valley. The entire
Northern Tallgrass was subjected to recent glaciation, resulting in a dense distribution of wetland depressions away from the geologically
younger river valleys. The southernmost border of this glaciation created the boundary between this physiographic area and the Dissected
Till Plains.

West River

West River is comprised of those areas west of the Missouri River in North Dakota and South Dakota, including the Black Hills, as
well as a small portion of northwestern Nebraska. It is predominantly a grassland, with riparian woodlands along major waterways and
coniferous forest in the Black Hills and other isolated highlands in the west. This area is a mixed grass prairie, but is considerably
drier than either the Northern Mixed Grass Prairie physiographic area to the east or the Nebraska Sandhills of the Central Mixed Grass
Prairie to the south. Because it was not recently glaciated, it lacks the prairie potholes so important to wetland birds. Large areas
in the western portion of this area are highly dissected landscapes known as "badlands."

North Dakota Landscape and Landforms:

Red River Valley

This area, in the eastern part of the state, is flat, and is one of the most fertile areas in the world. This area of North Dakota
is farm country and wheat and other crops cover the area along with livestock.

Drift Prairie

To the west of the Red River Valley is the Drift Prairie, marked by rolling hills, stream valleys and numerous lakes. To the north
of this area are the Turtle Mountains.

Great Plains

The southwestern half of North Dakota is covered by the Great Plains, an area that is hilly and rich in mineral deposits. The Badlands
is an area in southwestern North Dakota. This valley of stone and clay has been shaped by wind and water into strange but beautiful
formations. White Butte, the highest point in the state, lies in the Badlands.

US Geography

Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία, geographia, lit. "earth description") is a field of science dedicated to the study of the lands, the features, the inhabitants, and the phenomena of the Earth.

The term "United States", when used in the geographical sense, means the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.